After our second week in Ghana, we now feel settled and fully arrived in Winneba. Going to school every day has become a routine as well as the daily walk to the fruits stand to buy delicious mango or pineapple. By now, we’ve gotten used to the regular power outages that often occur after sunset – the Ghanaians always say “The lights are out” and then, later, “The lights are back”. Good thing we brought our flashlights, taking a shower in the dark is also an experience. Besides, we feel like we are getting used to the heat, but then again there was a thunderstorm at the weekend that brought two nice cool days (only 23 degrees in the night!!). We even got goosebumps on the beach, it’s hard to imagine.
Our schools are very different from each other. As for me, Aleyna, I go to primary school where I visit a different grade every week. I observe lessons in the same class the whole day: Fante, Maths, English, History, Science, Arts… The children come to school at 6:30 to clean the classrooms and the campus. At 7, they meet for the assembly every morning where they get instructions for the day, sing the Ghanaian hymn and then march to their classrooms. This week, I took part in the class by correcting their assignments. I found it really interesting that the level of the content is quite high, for example, the first-grade students can already read and write in English. As for me, Merle, I go to a senior high school where I observe different classes. I observe Physics, Social Studies, Food and Clothing, and Agricultural Sciences. I have a different timetable every day and find it interesting to see as many different teachers and subjects as I can. In most classes, the teachers dictate and explain something, and the students just write everything down and don’t talk much. However, things are changing now in Ghana, they are introducing more student-centered methods to their classrooms and the teachers get schooled in that now. It is really interesting to discuss with the teachers their perspectives on school and lessons.
We keep trying out different Ghanaian dishes – some are delicious, others take some getting used to. Our breakfast usually includes some cornflakes or other cereals and fruits, and you can buy Ghanaian bread, and they even have a good chocolate spread. After school, we often go to our favorite fruit stand to buy a snack for lunch and then we meet up to chat, to go to the beach, or to explore the market. It is huge and you can get everything there, but you should come on market day, which is Tuesdays and Fridays, because it’s busier. This week, we went there to buy some fabrics for dresses. After my host mother had introduced me to her favorite seamstress Regina, we had to come again and have more dresses made because Regina is such a warmhearted person. The dresses aren’t finished yet, but maybe we’ll post a picture next week!
On the weekend, we met up with some of our buddies who happen to love the card games we brought. It was such a fun afternoon! Friday night, we met the DiCoT-people for the first time and some other Germans who are here for different projects. It’s nice to exchange about our experiences here. At night, one of our buddies took us to a Jama Night on campus. Groups of students were singing gospel songs and dancing, it’s fun to watch and dance along, although we can’t move as nicely as the Ghanaians can. But they always encourage us to join them. We spent most of the Saturday doing some chores or preparing our lessons for school, and then we went to the beach – of course, it’s the best place of all. There’s always a nice cool breeze and listening to the waves is very calming. At night, we went to the campus again because there was a live band playing. We enjoyed the music and dancing. The night was short because we wanted to go to church the next morning at 7am. We loved the gospel; everyone is so cheerful and happily dancing and enjoying themselves so we could not help but dance along. It was so much fun, and we felt very welcome! In the afternoon, we went to Royal Beach and played a card game. There was a really pretty lagoon. We are looking forward to visit other places around Winneba in the next weeks and to get to know more of the Ghanaian way of life.
By Aleyna and Merle
